We'd finally got the kids to bed the other night and I was in the office checking my email. Out of nowhere I heard Gavin wailing from his bed, "Mommy, I feel left OUT." I thought he was referring to the fact that I made him turn off his light while Jolie and Tristan were both in other rooms reading. I went into an explanation of why he, a five year old, had to go to bed while his siblings were being allowed to stay up a little longer to read. Then he set things straight for me. He burst out, "I'm the only one who hasn't lost a tooth!" By that time nearly everyone had gathered in the doorway of our upstairs office. Jolie and Tristan and I looked at each other in disbelief. Gavin was SO suddenly distraught over this seemingly insignificant point that it was actually hard not to laugh. He was VERY emotional. This was a big deal. All of his little kindergarten friends have been losing teeth while Gavin is nowhere near losing any of his.
We got Gavin though his emotional crisis by sending the boys to their room to get back in bed. I asked Tristan to tell Gavin about his famous front tooth that he bumped when he was a toddler and which has continued to cause him problems. His braces and the retainer he wears at night are all partially related to this problem tooth.
In the meantime, I've been interrogating all of the little boys in the neighborhood about their teeth. I couldn't believe they'd all lost teeth this early. Gavin was right. Every kid who's played at our house this week has lost at least one or two teeth. I realized they're all older than Gavin, though. A lot of the boys in kindergarten are several months older then him. That's when I realized this is only the beginning. We have a long road ahead of us of feeling left out.
Having to wait until OCTOBER my entire growing up years, I can definitely relate.
2 comments:
That is so tender! Hopefully he doesn't take drastic measures to get a tooth out.
It's the third child syndrome. Having an older brother and a sister with which to compete causes quite a bit of competition at home for attention, then of course there is the cute,sweet baby sister. I suppose that transfers to peers when you start trying to measure up to what you suppose is important at that specific time in your life. Tell Gavin he is special in so many ways and that his teeth know when to come out based on the one underneath pushing it upward and out. Tyler had that first loose tooth then finally, he was eating and he noticed it was gone. (He swallowed it) We had to write the tooth fairy a serious note on that one. Last time I visited him, they sent a goofy tooth fairy that could not find the tooth but left the money anyway. Next morning he came down with money in one hand and the tooth in the other. It had come out while his Mom was away, his Dad had put it aside and Nana found it so he put it in a small plastic bag under his pillow. Funny thing was, the plastic bag was empty next morning but Tyler reconnected with his lost tooth immediately. He said he found it on my side of the bed where I was sleeping. I told him, I though something bit me during the night. Callie said the goofy tooth fairy came in her room, looking for the little boy who lost his tooth, since he was not in his usual bed. Strange how these tooth faries operate.
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